Despite it supposedly being a rebuild year for the St. Louis Cardinals, the team is off to a great
start. Through 46 games, the team is 27-19 and in third place in the NL Central, just 3.5 games
behind the first-place Chicago Cubs. It helps that young players like Jordan Walker and JJ
Wetherholt are showing promise. However, to succeed, a team needs a strong pitching staff,
and St. Louis doesn’t have one. While the team is currently off to a strong start, they won’t be
able to sustain it.
The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a surprisingly good start; however, a lot of it can be attributed
to luck. While they are currently 27-19, their expected record is really supposed to be 23-22,
meaning this team is overperforming. Offensively, this team is currently ranked seventh in the
National League in runs per game with 4.62 and has a run differential of just +5. St. Louis has
had a lot of things go right so far in 2026. Jordan Walker is finally living up to his top prospect
billing. JJ Wetherholt looks like a Rookie of the Year candidate. Rookie Nathan Church has
shown promise and Ivan Herrera and Alec Burleson have continued to be productive hitters.
However, the lineup has its holes; Nolan Gorman, Masyn Winn, and Victor Scott II leave much
to be desired and Pedro Pages isn’t a dependable bat.
So far this season, St. Louis’s starting rotation has been one of the worst in the league. As a
staff, they’ve combined to have a 4.08 ERA. Behind Michael McGreevy, Dustin May, Matthew
Liberatore, Andre Pallante, and Kyle Leahy have combined for a 4.54 ERA and surrendered 24
home runs. To get to the postseason, a team must have a strong starting rotation and the St.
Louis Cardinals don’t have it. This will hurt them later in the season.
The Cardinals’ bullpen might be their biggest liability and will lead to their undoing. They
currently have a 4.53 ERA and a WHIP of 1.41; only the Nationals and Reds have put up worse
numbers in those categories. Relievers like Matt Svanson, Ryne Stanek, and Justin Bruihl have
been the Cardinals’ biggest bullpen liabilities. The only arms who’ve been consistent are JoJo
Romero, George Soriano, Gordon Graceffo, and closer Riley O’Brien. Given how the team has
blown eight saves already, their bullpen will be unreliable for them down the stretch.
The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a surprisingly good start to the season; however, they won’t
sustain it. While Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt, Alec Burrelson, and Ivan Herrera have been solid
contributors, there are too many holes in this lineup. Meanwhile, St Louis’s starting rotation
and bullpen aren’t dependable and this will catch up with them later in the season. The
beginning of the year has been fun to watch, but fans should keep their expectations realistic.
This year is all about development; there will be growing pains as the process isn’t linear, and
the current success the team is having is merely a bonus.
